Monday, October 7, 2013

Day 1 of Treatment

This morning was rough to say the least. We both had our separate moments where all or some of our emotions had to be released. Delaney was in a great mood, but we were very anxious, stressed, and nervous for the chemotherapy to start. The nurses began to pre-hydrated Delaney around mid-night last night. She received around 90ml of normal saline an hour. She peed all night long! They gave her all of this fluid to make sure her specific gravity was within a certain range in order to begin chemo. They were able to attain this number by us placing cotton balls in her diaper at each change. She reached the specific gravity at about 10 am this morning. Prior to the scheduled chemotherapy start time Delaney had to have 3 different anti nausea medicine administered over an hour. That started around 12:30pm. Chemo started shortly after that, at about 1:30pm. The first chemo dose was Vincristine which was pushed over 15 minutes, followed by Etoposide which was pushed over 1 hour, followed by MESNA which is a "rescue drug" for her bladder because the next drug, Cytoxan, is know to damage the Bladder. The Cytoxan was pushed over 1 hour as well, then on to another MESNA mixture for the next 20 hours. Tomorrow it all starts again minus the Vincristine. Delaney did very well. She slept for most of the treatment thanks to the Benadryl she was given. When she woke up she had quite the appetite. Grandpa even had her laughing pretty hard. We are still on edge, waiting and watching for any side effects. She will be getting her anti nausea medicine around the clock and other stronger ones as need. When we change Delaney's diapers, or if/when she throws up we must wear gloves, and the diapers need to be disposed of properly. These precautions are being taken because she is now excreting the chemo she was given back out with the potential of us coming in contact with it. We hoping for restful night, and preparing for another day of chemotherapy tomorrow. It pulls on our heart strings to know that Delaney is loved by so many. A few of the nurses we have had said in all of their years of experience that they have never seen a room decorated with so many cards. Thank you for all the prayers, love, and support!

Go TEAM DELANEY

Quote of the day
"Let us not pray to be sheltered from difficulties, but to be fearless when facing them."